Monarchy To Fall?
The world’s last Hindu monarchy may fall. The king himself is possibly responsible. What’s a monarchist to do?
Coming up on RoyaltyNow!, I discuss the April issue of Majesty and the problems facing the Shah dynasty of Nepal. Look for it in the coming week.
For 240 years, Nepal has been a monarchy. For the last few years it has been headed by the unpopular King Gyanendra, who took over the reigns of monarch when his brother, King Birendra, was murdered in cold blood.
Birendra’s son, Crown Prince Dipendra, shot up a room full of his relatives, including his mother the queen, his cousins, aunts, and even his own siblings. King Birendra was shot first and fell to the floor in a heap. Then the crazed Prince Dipendra (who was thought to be drunk and on drugs at the time) turned the gun on himself, leaving Dipendra braindead but alive. He lingered in hospital two days before he finally died. He was The 2 Day King.
The country that lay at the foot of the mighty Mount Everest was thrown into upheaval. Nepal had found their monarchy a source of strength and stability for their country, and the death of the king and nine members of the royal family had sent the people into a state of shock. Then the violence erupted. The public was outraged and extremely suspicious of King Birendra’s brother, Gyanendra, who was suspected of a plot to place himself on the throne.
Were their suspicions far off the mark?
The late King Tribhuvan of Nepal faced a coup when the Ranas, described as extended royal family, tried to put his grandson Gyanendra on the throne in 1950. They succeeded, but for only about a year until Tribhuvan was reinstated. The general populace did not accept the new king Gyanendra then, and they were opposed to him in June 2001. With King Birendra fatally shot and his successor also dead, however, they did not have much choice as to who their sovereign would be.
Will a republic be better? Should they find a different King within the family?
